Love

Today, Randy and I went to have our usual Sunday breakfast out.  After walking around Balboa Park, we settled to nosh in one of our usual places, Coral Cafe.

As we sat down to peruse the menu, a couple came in the door.  There was nothing special about them -- just a regular twosome enjoying a lazy, scorching Sunday as any couple in that place.  

They asked for a table and were told to wait for a few minutes.  That's when they decided to pass the time by necking and nudging each other with their lips.  What started out as nuzzle quickly turned into a series of quick kisses on the cheeks and neck until they reached the piece de resistance:  a full blown, slightly-opened mouth display of osculating.  

The tonsil Olympics was abruptly interrupted when the guy's name was called for their table.  I watched them pull away from each other, the girl smoothing down her hair as he held her possessively by the waist, while making a beeline to their booth.

I smiled to myself as they disappeared from my view.  

Ah, young, burgeoning, hot love.

I glanced at my own knight in shining armor.  Looking resplendent in a tattered shirt, sweats and with mussed up hair, my dear husband was too busy shaking off sleepiness with his second cup of coffee.  He missed the whole show.  As he yawned and rubbed his eyes while making low, guttural sounds, I just had to laugh to myself.  So much for being a knight in shining armor. 

Not that I was photo shoot ready myself.  I had my hair up in a loose bun and was sporting my own old shirt and sweats ensemble.  The point is, we have settled comfortably into coupledom.  We go out in public, looking like a pair of frumpy bums (although I don't know of any frumpy bum who totes around a Marc Jacobs purse -- I'm just saying) and no, we don't succumb to the temptation of copping a feel every chance we get in public.  

Not that I'm complaining.  In fact, I thoroughly welcome this phase in our relationship.  We are definitely past the honeymoon stage of our marriage.  We have seen each other in our worst, yet I know we have not seen anything yet.  We know each other's weird quirks from talking in our sleep to saying inappropriate things at the most inappropriate time.  We know our differences well enough to celebrate them.  Our kisses may be less passionate, even perfunctory at times, but he never fails to kiss me in the morning before he leaves and to kiss me before nodding off at night.  Our days begin and end with "I love you".  Fights are minimal and at times, downright silly.  I buy his underwear and socks.  He does my laundry and folds my underwear.  I cook his meals.  He washes my dishes.  And he always, always opens the car door for me.

We have been talking about expanding our family and moving to a bigger place.  We talk about our dreams.  Every day.  His dreams are my dreams and vice versa.  His tears are my tears and vice versa.  At the end of a long day, my heart still flutters when I hear his key turn the lock of our front door.  Our love may not be as tempestuous or as crazy as before.  We may not be pecking at each other like a pair of horny teenagers anymore.  Our life may be clouded with mundane tasks like paying the bills or doing grocery shopping.  But I gotta tell ya -- my heart still skips a bit when, in the middle of pushing a cart in Trader Joe's, my beloved reaches over and gives me a kiss on the head while looking at me like I'm the prettiest girl in the room -- loose bun, sweats and all.

Our love is steady.  And as experience has taught me, I'll take steady over crazy any time.

While we were walking around Balboa Park, we passed an old couple sitting on a bench.  They were probably in their late 70's. They were feeding the ducks and laughing quietly with each other.  At some point, I glanced back at them, just in time to witness a scene so beautifully intimate, it took my breath away:  The old man reached over and with his gnarled, wrinkled hand, took his wife's gnarled, wrinkled hand and held it tight as they continued to feed the ducks.

Quiet, simple, sweet and above all, enduring.  

Now that's love.